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Dr Su became AMD CEO in 2014 when they were deep in the ruinously awful Bulldozer CPU architecture. The first Zen products didn't launch until 2017 - that is w
by cmsj 3y ago
Dr Su became AMD CEO in 2014 when they were deep in the ruinously awful Bulldozer CPU architecture.
The first Zen products didn't launch until 2017 - that is when their "success kinda started" at least in the CPU market.
Here's a quote from Suzanne Plummer, senior director of the Zen project, in September 2015: "This is the first time in a very long time that we engineers have been given the total freedom to build a processor from scratch and do the best we can do."
You could make a reasonable argument that supplying the GPUs for PS4 and Xbox One, both of which pre-date Dr Su's appointment, is their "success kinda start[ing]", but one could also argue that AMD was really the only vendor capable of providing the APUs needed.
- osti 3y agoCPU development cycle is definitely longer than 3 years, especially for a big change like that. Zen architecture design certainly started before 2014. So I think it's fair to say that she started around the time AMD became successful.
- rowanG077 3y agoZen started in 2012. But it might have been a total disaster if it weren't for Su. We simply don't know. At the very least Suzannes quote hints at Su having at least a very significant impact.
- burnte 3y agoIt's not, though. Zen didn't launch until 2017, she started in 2014. Early work began in 2012, yes, but it was on track for 3 years under her before launch, she deserves a lot of credit as leader to bring that project to fruition.
- cmsj 3y agoTechnically it was somewhat under her from its inception - she was a VP and general manager of AMD from like January 2012, months before Jim Keller was hired. I dug up an old interview from Anandtech that I'd forgotten about when I first wrote my comment above, which has this quote from Dr Su: "If I put credit where credit is due, Mark Papermaster had incredible vision of what he wanted to do with CPU/GPU roadmap. He hired Jim Keller and Raja Koduri, and he was very clear when he said he needed this much money to do things. We did cut a bunch of projects, but we invested in our future."
- burnte 3y agoThanks for the quote, that's a great leader.
- scrlk 3y ago"Designing microprocessors is like playing Russian roulette. You put a gun to your head, pull the trigger, and find out four years later if you blew your brains out." (attributed to former DEC CEO Robert Palmer)